Bettors Like Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa ahead of WM Phoenix Open

Is there any better place to be than Phoenix, Arizona this week?

Super Bowl LVII will be played Sunday night at State Farm Stadium, and the WM Phoenix Open (Feb. 9-12) is just a few miles away where 22 of the top 25 players in the world are part of a stacked field.

It’s the second designated event of the season, the first full-field version, meaning virtually all of the top players on the PGA TOUR are teeing it up, and competing for a $20 million purse. The winner will take home $3.6 million.

The red-hot Jon Rahm and world No. 1 Rory McIlroy headline the field, and both players are a tier above the rest regarding golf odds to win. Rahm has the shortest odds at +750, and McIlroy is right behind at +800.

When it comes to betting at the BetMGM online sportsbook, bettors are staying away from those players and targeting a few other top players slightly down the odds board – Xander Schauffele (+1600), Collin Morikawa (+1800) and Justin Thomas (+2000). Schauffele and Morikawa are also two of the biggest liabilities as of Wednesday morning.

Schauffele is drawing the most handle (11.9%) on the most tickets (7.2%). Morikawa is right behind him with 10.7% of the handle on 7% of the tickets.

It’s no surprise Schauffele is getting plenty of love. He’s finished inside the top 20 each of the last five times he’s played in the event, including T3 last year and T2 in 2021. It’s quite clear he loves TPC Scottsdale.

While Schauffele withdrew from the Sentry Tournament of Champions with a back injury, he finished T3 at The American Express and T13 at the Farmers Insurance Open, so the back does not appear to be a concern.

This will be Morikawa’s second appearance at the event, having finished T25 in 2020. He enters the week in terrific form.

In his last three TOUR events, Morikawa hasn’t finished worse than sixth. He lost a six-shot lead in the final round of the Sentry Tournament of Champions and finished second but rebounded nicely with a third-place finish at the Farmers Insurance Open.

Thomas is a regular at TPC Scottsdale. Since 2018, he’s made all five cuts at the event, including two top-10 finishes. This week, he’s third in handle (8.7%) and tickets (6.6%).

The 29-year-old finished 25th in both 2023 calendar events he’s played (Sentry Tournament of Champions and Farmers Insurance Open). He also hasn’t won since the PGA Championship last May.

Current Handle & Tickets

Handle

Xander Schauffele – 11.9%

Collin Morikawa – 10.7%

Justin Thomas – 8.7%

Tom Kim – 7.3%

Jon Rahm – 7%

Tickets

Xander Schauffele – 7.2%

Collin Morikawa – 7%

Justin Thomas – 6.6%

Tom Kim – 6.3%

Jon Rahm – 6%

Biggest Liabilities

Collin Morikawa

Xander Schauffele

Tom Kim

Meanwhile, McIlroy is drawing 5.2% of tickets on 5% of the handle. He played in the 2021 event, where he finished T13. Contrary to McIlroy, Rahm has plenty of experience here, finishing inside the top 16 each of the last six years.

In his tournament debut, Tom Kim has the fourth-most tickets and handle.

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